Astrophotography
Whether you’re an astrophotography expert or beginner, our guides and galleries will inspire and help you get the most out of imaging the night sky.
How amateur astrophotographers captured a little-known dying star called the Spin Nebula
Astrophotographers tracked down and photographed a planetary nebula known as the Spin Nebula in the Gum 14/15 nebula complex.
Astrophotographer captures colourful star trails over Pangong Lake, showing Earth's motion in space
The night sky over Pangong Lake, with colourful star trails that show Earth's rotation as it orbits the Sun.
Image processing | How to create an aurora panorama
Take your aurora astrophotography to the next level by creating a beautiful panorama showing off its colourful wisps.
Create a composite astrophoto showing a night-sky object in motion
Capture the movement of a planet or other object over multiple nights by creating a composite astrophoto that tracks a celestial target across the night sky.
Imaging the Planets Masterclass Series
Our spring 2024 series lifts the lid on photographing the planets, with three of the best planetary imagers in the game.
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See the lunar occultation of globular cluster M4, 23/24 May
See this star cluster disappear behind the Moon.
How to observe a full Moon: tricks, tips and what to look for
Some will tell you a full Moon is the worst time to observe our lunar neighbour, but there's still plenty to see when the Moon is fully illuminated.
The Seestar S50 is among the cheapest smart telescopes available. But is it any good? We put it to the test
ZWO Seestar 50 smart telescope is an enjoyable budget all-in-one. But does it truly deliver on its do-it-all promises?
I've been out photographing Comet C/2023 A3, which could be naked-eye come autumn. This is what I found
Stuart Atkinson has braved chilly April nights to capture images of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS).
Astrophotographer captures Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks' meeting with the Moon, Jupiter and Uranus
A conjunction of Pons-Brooks, the Moon, Jupiter and Uranus.
Astrophotography guides
Follow our astrophotography guides for in-depth tutorials on photographing the night sky, plus image processing advice to help fine-tune your astro images.
Capture the colours, swirls and wisps of the Northern Lights with our guide on how to photograph the aurora
Want to take impressive aurora photographs? Even beginners can successfully capture the Northern Lights with these simple tips.
How to photograph the April 8 eclipse from the UK and Ireland
How to photograph the April 8 total solar eclipse
Comets
Facts about and images of comets, the rocky, icy celestial bodies that orbit the Sun and can sometimes briefly be seen with the naked eye in the night sky above Earth
Eclipses
Beautiful images of lunar and solar eclipses.
Gallery | Solar eclipses
What is a solar eclipse and how do you view one safely? Find out about the celestial mechanics behind these spectacular astronomical events.
Gallery | Lunar eclipses
What is a lunar eclipse and why do they happen? Discover the science of lunar eclipses and view amazing pictures of the rusty-red 'blood Moon'.
Galaxies
There are many types of galaxy, from spiral galaxies to ellipticals, dwarfs and strange-looking irregular galaxies. These are images of some of the most beautiful galaxies in the Universe, captured by astrophotographers on planet Earth.
Gallery | Bode's Galaxy and Cigar Galaxy
Images of M81 and M82, the pair of interacting galaxies known as Bode's Galaxy and the Cigar Galaxy, including facts and the history of their discovery.
Gallery | Sunflower Galaxy
Facts about and images of M63, also known as the Sunflower Galaxy.
Gallery | Pinwheel Galaxy
The Pinwheel Galaxy M101 is a spiral galaxy 170,000 lightyears across, located 25 million lightyears away from Earth in the Ursa Major constellation.
The Moon
Beautiful images of the Moon, including images of lunar craters, clair obscur effects, lunar maria and astrophotos showing the terminator creeping across the Moon's jagged surface.
Gallery | Planes in front of the Sun and Moon
A gallery of images of planes passing in front of the solar or lunar disc.
Gallery | Harvest Moon
What is a Harvest Moon, and and are they really worth the hype?
A guide to the Moon's crater Gutenberg
The lumps, bumps, rilles and ancient craters of this region are particularly rich to examine when the Sun is low.
Nebulae
Beautiful images of glowing cosmic clouds known as nebulae. These regions of space are filled with gas and dust, out of which new stars will be born. These are some of the most well-known, captured by astrophotographers from around the globe.
Cat's Eye Nebula complete guide
Facts about the Cat's Eye Nebula and how to observe and photograph it from Earth.
Gallery | North America Nebula
Images of the North America Nebula and facts about this continent-shaped cosmic cloud.
Gallery | Dark nebulae
What is a dark nebula, and why do they exist? Find out in our guide.
Planets
Beautiful images of the planets of our Solar System and their moons, captured by amateur and professional astrophotographers from around the world.
Gallery | Jupiter's Great Red Spot
Facts about Jupiter's Great Red Spot and images of the centuries-old cyclone.
Gallery | Jupiter's Galilean moons
Facts about and images of Jupiter's four largest satellites, the Galilean moons.
Gallery | Uranus
A guide to the icy ringed giant, and images captured by astrophotographers.
Skyscapes
Astro images showing the beautiful astronomical phenomena that can be seen in Earth's night sky, including stars, conjunctions, star trails and the aurora.
Stars
Pictures of stars, including starscapes, star trails, bright stars in the sky, photos of constellations and images of the starry band of the Millky Way stretching across the night sky.
Gallery | Cassiopeia
A guide to the constellation Cassiopeia, and how to see some of its best stars.
Gallery | The Pleiades
A guide to M45, also known as the Pleiades, and images of the famous open star cluster.
Gallery | Kemble's Cascade
Advice on how to observe Kemble's Cascade, and images of the asterism.
The Sun
Images of the Sun, Earth's host star at the centre of the Solar System, including sunspots, solar flares, solar prominences and solar eclipses.